It was a moment that told you everything about their close relationship.

And it makes you believe Karanka will continue to get the best out of him for the rest of this season, while he is on loan from Cardiff - and also that there’s a very good chance Tomlin will be wearing a red shirt beyond that, which is an exciting prospect.

He might have only joined Cardiff on a three-year deal around six months ago, but if Tomlin has to make another big decision about his long-term future again this summer you would think his obvious closeness with Karanka would come into his thinking – that, and the fact Forest are a big club, with big ambitions.

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They have already enjoyed success together at Middlesbrough, reaching the Championship play-off final in Tomlin’s one full season up there, so they will believe they can do well together again at Forest, and hopefully go one better and get into the Premier League.

Warnock usually likes big, muscle-bound players and he likes to play direct football – and that’s not Tomlin. He fits perfectly into Karanka’s Forest team though, and right now you have to say their loss is Forest’s gain.

It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

If Tomlin keeps doing the business for Forest between now and the end of the season; if he continues to play well and scores goals, Cardiff may want him back for next season.

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With two more years left on his contract there, they hold all the cards.

It might depend on what league they are in, because they’re sat in one of the two automatic promotion places right now, or they might have already said to him he’s not got a future there. I think that’s unlikely, but I don’t know.